Significant earthquakes of 1972

February 4, 1972 Earthquake: Central, Ancona, Italy

February 4, 1972 · M4.8 · 1 death

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck Central, Ancona, Italy on February 4, 1972 at 02:42:18 UTC, 25 km below the surface. It killed 1 person.

Map

Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.

The earthquake

Date
February 4, 1972
Time
02:42:18 UTC
Place
Central, Ancona, Italy
Magnitude
4.8 (mb)
Focal depth
25 km (16 mi)
Tsunami
None recorded
Epicenter
43.800° N, 13.300° E
Country
Italy

The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
2
Damage
Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1972The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1972Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history

Sources

Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 4593.